Friday, October 23, 2009

Anyone who reads this knows that I have no time at all for the BNP or their views. This morning, I have done nothing but defend the right of the BBC to allow the BNP to be represented by their leader on Britain's prime political debate programme, Question Time.

All I have to say to those who object to him being allowed to air his views is that if his ideas are censored because people find them abhorrent, your views could be next.

Marcia came to visit this week, which means I am skint.Bought loads of stones from her, the best one being this 67 carat amethyst:

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

What a few days!I am completely exhausted: got back from Brighton on Sunday night at about 11.30 but didn't get into bed until nearer 1am after getting everything together. Taught all day on Monday and did some voluntary work in the evening until 11pm. That wasn't so much trouble, but then I didn't sleep and had to be at the airport to go to Coventry for a conference on CAD/CAM. All day, we wandered around, chatting to people, looking at machinery and samples, listening to speakers and watching demonstrations (I have GOT to get my hands on a direct metal printer!). Back to the hotel after that, where I didn't sleep again but had to get on a 7am flight back to Glasgow to meet with my stone-dealer and help the students buy stones. Meeting at 4pm until 6pm about our new qualification. Home at last. Hope I sleep tonight!

Rapid prototyping and manufacture is going to be such a major way forward for us jewellers and there is no escaping that. To be able to beat the sweat-shops and offer a unique product with a cutting edge, jewellers are either going to have to go down the line of my own work - using scavenged and unusual materials - or the line of technology in order to do this. Everything else is fading fast. It makes me wonder exactly what is the place of the jewellery courses we currently offer? They have a few years yet, but this needs to be addressed. As one of my students said to me, talking about the need to make a living from her work, "This isn't therapy".

My wonderful stone-dealer, Marcia Lanyon, didn't disappoint. (She never does.) I spent an absurd sum of money on stones, including some Rose-cut black diamonds and a monumental 62ct Amethyst!

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Nice to see that the postal "delivery" workers in the UK have voted to go on strike again. So they've decided to have a day or two off from stealing the mail? From throwing it down drains? From hiding it in the sorting office? As someone who now has everything delivered to his work because mail addressed to my home never gets there, this is a no-change situation. Privatise it now. Deutsche Post can't wait to get their hands on it and should be given it free, gratis and for nothing forthwith.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

There is something incredibly funny about the new lords of indie-rock, Muse. One of their previous singles, "Muscle Museum" is so ludicrous that it makes me laugh out loud (and I actually quite like it for that) and their latest offering, "Uprising" is just as amusing for sounding like Goldfrapp playing with Delia Darbyshire's "Doctor Who Theme".

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Having dreamed last night that Scott Walker had died (he hasn't: I checked online as soon as I got to the workshop!) and generally not having slept very well for the last couple of days, I am starting to flag, looking forward to the weekend.

Spent last weekend in Brighton, which was great fun, as ever. We didn't do very much but it was nice to see Dingo and eat ice-cream and stuff, even if the horrible Labour Party conference was in town, filling the place with protesters, armed police and politicians. Not that we really noticed.

Took lots of photographs:

Though given that a certain person - who shall remain nameless - thought it her duty to take me aside and tell me that the photographs on my Flickr photostream were not very good and could be improved, I don't know why I bothered.Oh... yes, I do know why I bothered: because I enjoy taking photographs and enjoy it when other people like them.Of course, anyone with any sense who didn't like a set of photographs would simply find a set that they did like and forget it.